Lopez Avila Fabiola, Capps Krista A, Bier Raven L
Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, South Carolina, USA.
Environ Microbiol Rep. 2025 Apr;17(2):e70068. doi: 10.1111/1758-2229.70068.
Biofilms can develop on nearly any surface, and in aquatic ecosystems they are essential components of biogeochemical cycles and food webs. Plastic waste in waterways is a new type of surface for biofilm colonisation. To analyse the influence of plastic pollution on the development and diversity of microbial freshwater biofilms that colonised them, we incubated 388 cm veneers of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with two veneer textures, smooth and rough, and tulip tree wood (Liriodendron tulipifera), in three rural headwater streams at the Savannah River Site (Aiken, SC, USA). We collected biofilms from veneers after 14, 28 and 56 days of incubation and analysed 16S rRNA genes and biofilm properties. We found that plastic negatively affected species richness of biofilms compared with wood, but that evenness was greatest on rough textured HDPE. Beta diversity was primarily influenced by stream site. Beta diversity differed more between wood and plastic veneers than with plastic surface texture and became more different over time. Wood had nine times more biomass than rough HDPE and 40 times more biomass than smooth HDPE. Given the projected increase of macroplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems, our findings emphasise the need to further understand its effects on biofilm characteristics.
生物膜几乎可以在任何表面形成，在水生生态系统中，它们是生物地球化学循环和食物网的重要组成部分。水道中的塑料垃圾是生物膜定殖的一种新型表面。为了分析塑料污染对定殖于其上的微生物淡水生物膜的发育和多样性的影响，我们在美国南卡罗来纳州艾肯市萨凡纳河场地的三条农村源头溪流中，将388厘米长的具有光滑和粗糙两种纹理的高密度聚乙烯（HDPE）薄板以及鹅掌楸木（北美鹅掌楸）进行了孵育。孵育14天、28天和56天后，我们从薄板上收集生物膜，并分析16S rRNA基因和生物膜特性。我们发现，与木材相比，塑料对生物膜的物种丰富度有负面影响，但粗糙纹理的HDPE上生物膜的均匀度最高。β多样性主要受溪流位置的影响。木材和塑料薄板之间的β多样性差异比塑料表面纹理之间的差异更大，并且随着时间的推移差异变得更加明显。木材的生物量比粗糙的HDPE多九倍，比光滑的HDPE多40倍。鉴于水生生态系统中宏观塑料污染预计会增加，我们的研究结果强调有必要进一步了解其对生物膜特性的影响。
